The Effect of a Peer Mentorship Program on Perceptions of Success in Choral Ensembles: Pairing Students With and Without Disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly VanWeelden ◽  
Julia Heath-Reynolds ◽  
Scott Leaman
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Choral Ensemble ◽  
Choral Ensembles ◽  
Choral Classroom

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of a peer mentorship program on students’ perceptions of comfort, skills obtained, and feelings of success while working with a peer with dissimilar abilities. The participants ( N = 14), enrolled in choral ensemble classes, were divided into two groups: the peer mentors ( n = 7), who were typically developing students, and the peer mentees ( n = 7), who were students with disabilities who had an individualized education program. The researchers created a pretest–posttest survey, and all questions were measured using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Peer mentee self-perceptions of success in the choral classroom revealed slight negative changes from the beginning to the end of the program. However, while some did not want to continue in the program for music skill acquisition, they all indicated a desire to remain in their peer pair for social reasons.

The value of a semi-formal peer mentorship program for first-year students’ studies, socialization and adaptation

2020 ◽  
pp. 146978742094521
Author(s):  
Art Tsang
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Mentor Relationships ◽  
University Life ◽  
Transitional Challenges ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Adaptation To College

Mentoring is a widespread practice in different sectors in society. It is particularly prevalent in higher education. Many have acknowledged the various transitional challenges encountered by first-year tertiary-level students. Greater support is therefore needed for this particular student group. This mixed-methods year-long case study examined the value of a semi-formal peer mentorship program for 10 first-year students who were low-achievers. It focused on the assistance provided by peer mentors for their studies, socialization, and adaptation to college/university life. The three mentors’ views of the program were also explored. Data were collected via questionnaires administered three times to the mentees and end-of-program group interviews for both the mentees and mentors. The overall findings show that the students perceived the assistance from the mentors to be useful for academic studies, socialization, and adaptation to college/university life. However, their perceptions varied across the entire year. The metaphors used by the mentees to describe their mentors—shepherds, torches and candlewax—depicted different facets of the mentee-mentor relationships and the value of the program. The study highlights the value of such semi-formal peer mentoring for low-achieving first-year students especially for institutions which lack resources.

scholarly journals The Impact of Program Structure and Goal Setting on Mentors’ Perceptions of Peer Mentorship in Academia

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-38
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Haqqee ◽  
Lori Goff ◽  
Kris Knorr ◽  
Michael B. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
Mentorship Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Senior Students

Many peer mentorship programs in academia train senior students to guide groups of incoming students through the rigors of postsecondary education. The mentorship program’s structure can influence how mentors develop from this experience. Here, we compare how two different peer mentorship programs have shaped mentors’ experiences and development. The curricular peer mentorship program was offered to mentors and mentees as credited academic courses. The non-curricular program was offered as a voluntary student union service to students and peer mentors. Both groups of peer mentors shared similar benefits, with curricular peer mentors (CMs) greatly valuing student interaction, and non-curricular peer mentors (NCMs) greatly valuing leadership development. Lack of autonomy and lack of mentee commitment were cited as the biggest concerns for CMs and NCMs, respectively. Both groups valued goal setting in shaping their mentorship development, but CMs raised concerns about its overemphasis. Implications for optimal structuring of academic mentorship programs are discussed.

Thinking Vertically: Facilitating Transition for Students With Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 104837132110344
Author(s):  
Ellary A. Draper
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Special Education Transition

Within special education, transition is a required part of a student’s Individualized Education Program, specifically the transition from school to postsecondary life. Recently, special educators have begun to investigate best practices of transition at all levels—early intervention into school, elementary to middle school, and middle to high school. Yet in music education transition is not widely discussed for students with and without disabilities. This article includes an overview of best practices of transition in special education and provides ideas on how to implement these practices in music education to better facilitate transition between schools to postsecondary life for students with disabilities.

Teacher Knowledge in Transition Planning: Does Locale Matter?

2021 ◽  
pp. 875687052110279
Author(s):  
Malarie E. Deardorff ◽  
Corey Peltier ◽  
Belkis Choiseul-Praslin ◽  
Kendra Williams-Diehm ◽  
Melissa Wicker
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Knowledge ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Transition Planning ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Transition Plans ◽  
Education Act

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act mandates transition planning to occur in conjunction with the individualized education program for secondary age students with disabilities beginning by age 16, or earlier. To fulfill this mandate, teachers must possess a depth of content and pedagogical knowledge related to the transition planning process. However, the majority of special educators do not receive coursework dedicated to transition in their undergraduate programming. Furthermore, teachers in under-resourced and underserved rural districts may have inequitable professional development opportunities to bolster their transition planning knowledge. This lack of transition-related education potentially leads to inadequate and noncompliant transition plans for students with disabilities. The current study examined differences in teachers’ knowledge based on locale: rural ( n = 75), suburban ( n = 48), and urban ( n = 64) from one southern state. Determining whether differences are identified by locale can inform the allocation of resources to provide high-quality, evidence-aligned professional development models to improve teacher knowledge in underserved and under-resourced rural locales. In addition, identifying gaps in teacher knowledge will inform pre-service and in-service teacher preparation. We provide an avenue of needed future research to improve transition-planning processes for students with disabilities.

Are Students With Disabilities Accessing the Curriculum? A Meta-Analysis of the Reading Achievement Gap Between Students With and Without Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour ◽  
Douglas Fuchs ◽  
Joseph H. Wehby
Keyword(s):  
Achievement Gap ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Federal Policies ◽  
Reading Achievement Gap ◽  
Improve Access

Federal policies have aimed to improve access to grade-level curriculum for students with disabilities (SWD). Current conceptualizations of access posit that it is evidenced by students’ academic outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 180 effect sizes from 23 studies, we examined access as outcomes by estimating the size of the gap in reading achievement between students with and without disabilities. Findings indicated that SWDs performed 1.17 standard deviations, or more than 3 years, below typically developing peers. The reading gap varied by disability label but not by other student and assessment characteristics. We discuss implications for access to grade-level curriculum and potential reasons for why the achievement gap is so large despite existing policies.

Teaching Strategies for Performers with Special Needs

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice M. Hammel ◽  
Ryan M. Hourigan
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Entry Point ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Beginning Band ◽  
Choral Ensemble ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
School Career ◽  
Conducting Students

Because of previously discussed changes in philosophy and policy, the demographics of our performing ensembles are constantly changing. Many school districts have moved toward a policy of full inclusion of students with special needs. This has led to an increased number of students with special needs in performing ensembles and has challenged many conductors to find ways to include many students with disabilities who were not previously a part of performing ensembles. In addition, this has forced many conductors to reexamine their underlying philosophy of what it means to be a successful ensemble conductor. The purpose of this chapter is to offer techniques for choral and instrumental conductors who teach performers with special needs and to suggest ideas for consideration for those who are preparing to conduct performing ensembles. These strategies come from extensive work researching, consulting with ensemble conductors, and working with parents of performers with special needs. This chapter is designed to alleviate any anxieties conductors and conducting students may have and to provide confidence when teaching students with disabilities. Typically the percentage of students with disabilities in performing ensembles is far less than the overall percentage of students with disabilities in a school. This is anecdotal data, however; the open challenge exists to those who teach performing ensembles to truly examine this phenomenon throughout their school system (Pre-K through 12). Band, choir, and orchestra directors can inadvertently discourage participation of students with special needs in their ensembles in many ways. For example, many band and orchestra programs have an entry point in or around fifth grade. However, after that point, students are not allowed to join. Unfortunately, many students with special needs are not developmentally ready to join an instrumental or choral ensemble in fifth grade. Many of these same students would be extremely successful if given another point of entry later in their school career. Small curricular nuances such as a floating entry point to beginning band, choir or orchestra can make a meaningful difference in developing an inclusive performing ensemble program in a public school.

Peer-Interaction Strategies: Fostering Positive Experiences for Students With Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Music Classes

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellary A. Draper ◽  
Laura S. Brown ◽  
Judith A. Jellison
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Regular Classrooms ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Too often, students with disabilities in regular classrooms have limited access to the regular curriculum, and for students with severe disabilities, interactions are often with paraprofessionals, not typical classmates. The present study is grounded in action research methods in that an elementary teacher and the authors worked together for the purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating interaction guidelines between her students with severe disabilities and their typically developing classmates. Overall, instruction and implementation of peer-interaction activities for working together and helping each other were efficient and resulted in high rates of positive interactions. Although the students with disabilities needed different kinds of support, they were capable of participating in a wide-range of music activities and interacting with their typical classmates. Differences in frequencies and quality of interactions are attributed primarily to task complexity, individual needs, and partner assignments.

Moms Supporting Moms: Digital Storytelling With Peer Mentors in Recovery From Substance Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Paterno ◽  
Alice Fiddian-Green ◽  
Aline Gubrium
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Shared Experience ◽  
Peer Mentorship ◽  
Recovery Programs ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
In Pregnancy

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a growing issue nationally, and SUD in pregnancy has significant consequences for mothers and their children. This article describes findings from a pilot project that used digital storytelling as a mechanism for understanding substance use and recovery from the perspective of women in recovery from SUD in pregnancy who worked as peer mentors with pregnant women currently experiencing SUD. Research on peer mentorship has primarily focused on outcomes for mentees but not the experience of the peer mentors themselves. In this qualitative study, a 3-day digital storytelling workshop was conducted with five women in recovery serving as peer mentors in their community. Each mentor also participated in an individual, in-depth interview. The digital storytelling workshop process helped peer mentors make linkages between their past substance use experiences to their present work of recovery, and fostered deep social connections between mentors through the shared experience. The workshop process also elicited a sense of hope among participants, which served as groundwork for developing advocacy-based efforts. Digital storytelling may be therapeutic for women in recovery and has the potential to be integrated into recovery programs to bolster hope and social support among participants.

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